1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to rotary cutting tools and, more particularly, to cutting tools having a generally cylindrical body, at least a portion of which is formed via a molding process. The invention further relates to a method for making such cutting tools.
2. Background Information
Rotary cutting tools, such as, for example, without limitation, drills, reamers, or endmills are commonly formed wholly from hardened tool steels, from hardened tool steels coated with a secondary, hardened material, or formed from hardened tool steels provided with replaceable cutting inserts formed from other hardened materials such as, for example, polycrystalline diamond (PCD), polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN), ceramic, cemented carbide, and cermet. While such hardened materials generally produce a desirable final product, the costs associated with producing such final product are generally undesirable as the hardened materials typically require a large amount of time and machining in order to produce a finished product.
Although known rotary cutting tools have been generally suitable in many applications, there still exists room for improvement. For example, when a drill made from a single piece of carbide has been used to a point where the cutting edges have become dull, the drill must either be disposed of or reconditioned. In most cases, it is only the cutting edges that are worn and not the rest of the cutting tool body. Disposal of the cutting tool obviously results in no further use of the tool. Reconditioning on the other hand, provides for further use of the tool, but such further use is often more limited than the original use and is accompanied by a generally large reconditioning cost.
There is, therefore, a need for improved cutting tools.